The Problem With EDC
I’ve always been a fan of EDC. Otherwise known as everyday carry. It’s been around forever but only started becoming trendy in the last couple decades.
Recently EDC has gone from a trend to almost a type of collectors hobby. Where people have drawers full of junk ranging from custom pens worth hundreds of dollars to the latest titanium, copper, anodized, limited edition flashlights. Commonly including high end pocket knives worth more than my car. All designed to be carried in fancy, little leather slips and never used. Only now reaching the heights of silliness with handmade handkerchiefs! Rolling in around $65 a piece.
It’s grown to become more of an expression of consumerism and retail therapy than a practical way to be prepared for daily situations that frequently require certain tools.
Back To Basics
Let’s get back to what guys really carried. Something very basic, yet affordable and useful. With a couple of modernized additions.
The basic philosophy is “something to cut, light and write.” As well as don’t carry anything you don’t mind losing or breaking. Above you’ll see an example of my typical setup. I usually also include a 3X5 notepad. That’s it.
Contents can vary but I prefer large single blade knives like the Ontario RAT 1. Something that’s relatively inexpensive. With a locking blade and lots of blade space. The second knife is just for backup but can be omitted.
Choosing a flashlight can be tricky. You generally don’t need a huge range of lumens and modes. Something like the Streamlight Stylus Pro has been a favorite for years. It’s reliable, takes common size batteries and finally has a single output of 100 lumens. With an 8 hour run time. You can check out my full review here.
Finally, make sure to grab a good quality pen and Bic lighter. And by good, I mean functional. Not flashy. Nobody wants to lose a $400 pen. My favorite pocket pen lately has been the Zebra G301. Since it’s a gel pen it writes smoothly even in the cold. It has a decent clip, an all metal body and is cheap as chips. Another popular option are Space Pens. They’re tough and will even work underwater but don’t write as well. So it depends how much writing you actually do in a day.
As for lighters, you can’t go wrong with a Bic. No, they’re not glamorous but they are reliable and last a long time. There’s nothing else that works as well for $1. You can drop them in water, drive over them or keep a box of them in a drawer for a decade and they will still work. The only drawback with butane lighters in they don’t work well in the cold.
Don’t Be That Guy
Hopefully, I’ve given you guys something to think about. You can always add more items as needed but get back to the basics. If you don’t use something at least once a week then ditch it. You’re back and your wallet will thank you.
Realistically, when you go to fill out paperwork or open a box nobody is going to stop short and compliment you on your tools. In all probability, they won’t even know what brand or maker your sporting. Whatever it happens to be will simply perform the task and is then quickly become relegated to your pocket once more.
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